ISLAMABAD: Peace and stability in Afghanistan is a shared concern among member states of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO), Pakistan’s President Mamnoon Hussain said on Sunday.
“We believe this is only possible through an Afghan-led and Afghan-owned peace process,” he told the plenary session of the 18th meeting of the SCO’s Council of Heads of State.
“Pakistan will continue to lend its full support for the promotion of peace and reconciliation in Afghanistan,” he added, welcoming Afghan President Ashraf Ghani’s “unconditional offer of peace talks with the Taliban.”
Pakistan “has embarked on a bilateral action plan for peace, security and stability with Afghanistan,” Hussain said. “We hope these efforts will bear fruit and contribute to peace in Afghanistan.”
He thanked China’s government for organizing the meeting, adding: “The SCO’s regional anti-terrorism structure is an expression of our concerns on extremism and terrorism. We appreciate the progress of this forum towards its stated purposes.”
Pakistan is ready to share its experience in successful counterterrorism campaigns with SCO member states, he said.
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who is also attending the meeting, shook hands with Hussain on Sunday. They held bilateral meetings with SCO heads of state, but not with each other.
Afghan peace a shared concern — Pakistani president
Afghan peace a shared concern — Pakistani president
- President told the SCO forum that Pakistan will continue to lend full support for promotion of peace and reconciliation in Afghanistan
- Pakistan is ready to share its experience in successful counterterrorism campaigns with SCO member states
Seven elephants killed by train accident in India
NEW DELHI: A passenger train smashed into a herd of elephants in India’s northeast, killing seven animals on the spot, officials said Saturday.
No travelers were injured in the accident in Assam state, home to more than 4,000 of the roughly 22,000 wild elephants in India.
Senior Assam police official V.V. Rakesh Reddy told AFP that seven jumbos were killed, and one elephant sustained an injury.
Five coaches of the train, which was headed to New Delhi from remote Mizoram state, were derailed.
Authorities have introduced speed restrictions along routes designated elephant corridors, but the latest accident occurred outside of these zones, Kapinjal Kishore Sharma, an Indian Railways spokesman said.
“The loco pilot, on observing the herd of elephants, applied emergency brakes. However, elephants dashed with the train,” he said.
Deforestation and construction activity near their habitats force elephants to stray further afield for food, often bringing them into conflict with humans.
According to parliamentary figures, 629 people were killed by elephants across India in 2023-2024.
